Magic-Suns Preview

By NICOLINO DIBENEDETTOPosted Dec 08 2012 10:23PM

Opening their longest homestand of the season, the Suns attempt to avoid a seven-game skid for the first time in almost nine years Sunday night against the road-weary Magic.

The Suns (7-14) have lost six straight and seven of eight, with all but one of those games coming on the road. They fell 97-94 to Dallas on Thursday in their only home contest during that span, dropping to 5-4 at US Airways Arena, where they play their next five games.

Phoenix's road and defensive woes continued Saturday with a 117-99 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. The Suns, who haven't dropped eight in a row since Feb. 4-22, 2004, have surrendered an average of 107.7 points during the current six-game skid.

"If we're going to get out of this, we've got to work our own way out and do it collectively as a group," coach Alvin Gentry said. "In this league, no one's going to help us and no one feels sorry for you. It's not a pity league."

Phoenix isn't likely to get any from Orlando (7-12), either. The Magic have problems of their own, losing five of seven overall and seven of 10 on the road this season.

After wins on the first two stops of its five-game trip, Orlando lost its second straight, 91-82 to Sacramento on Friday. Playing four straight on the road appears to be wearing on the Magic, who have hit 5 of 30 from 3-point range over the last two games.

"I feel it, but our trainers and coaches have been keeping us ready really well and making sure that we get rest," forward Glen Davis told the team's official website. "They are making sure that our bodies feel right. You get bumps and bruises and you just have to take care of your body."

Davis is averaging 21.3 points, 10.3 rebounds and 2.0 blocks during the trip. He had 22 points and eight rebounds in Orlando's 115-94 win over Phoenix on Nov. 4.

J.J. Redick scored a season-high 24 with six assists in that game, and he'll try to replicate that effort after going 2 for 10 from the field en route to six points Friday. The reserve guard was averaging 16.7 points and 6.0 assists over the first three games of the trip.

The Suns may insert Michael Beasley back into the starting lineup after he had 21 points, five assists and four rebounds off the bench against the Clippers. The mercurial forward had totaled just 24 points on 10 of 35 from the field in his previous three games. Beasley scored a season-high 22 at Orlando last month.

The Magic have won four straight and six of the last seven meetings. They ended an eight-game losing streak in Phoenix with a 111-88 victory there on March 13, 2011.

Copyright 2012 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited

Magic hand Suns 7th straight loss, 98-90

By BOB BAUMPosted Dec 09 2012 11:36PM

PHOENIX (AP) A smooth rookie led the Orlando Magic to a successful end of a long road trip.

Andrew Nicholson scored nine of his career-high 19 points in the fourth quarter and the Magic pulled away to hand the Phoenix Suns their seventh loss in a row, 98-90 on Sunday night.

"I am going out there playing hard," he said. "They are just trusting me."

The 6-foot-9 first-round draft pick from St. Bonaventure made 9 of 11 shots and grabbed nine rebounds, also the best of his young career.

"He's a scoring machine," teammate Glen Davis said. "He scored a bunch and today this is one of those games where you need that guy off the bench to step up and make sure that we get over the hump"

Orlando coach Jacque Vaughn said he and the team are gaining confidence in Nicholson.

"He is a scorer," Vaughn said. "He can do that so we are going to continue to work on other facets of his game and make him the best player he can be."

J.J. Redick scored 17 of his 20 points in the first half for the Magic at the end of a 3-2 trip.

Shannon Brown scored 17 and Jared Dudley 15 for the Suns, who were without starting point guard Goran Dragic due to illness.

Phoenix's losing streak is its longest since 2004.

"It's a real frustrating loss, a real disappointing loss," coach Alvin Gentry said. "You know, we are playing spot basketball. We play good for two minutes, then we play bad for seven, then we're good for five and we're bad for three. You just can't have any consistency and you just can't win any basketball games in this league when you play that way."

Redick's only points of the second half came on a 3-pointer that put the Magic ahead for good, 78-75, with 10:13 remaining.

Orlando used an 11-3 run to take its biggest lead of the game, 93-82, when Arron Afflalo made two free throws with 4:38 left.

Dudley scored the first four in a 6-0 spurt that cut it to 93-88 on Marcin Gortat's 8-foot bank shot 3:19 from the finish.

But Nicholson came off the bench to sink a 14-footer that made it 95-88 with 1:50 to go, then Afflalo made a 20-footer to put Orlando ahead 97-88 with just 1:22 to go.

The Magic led 53-48 at the break after neither team managed a double-digit advantage in the first half.

Redick scored 17 in the half, making 5 of 10 shots, 3 of 6 3-pointers, in 19 minutes.

He sank a 3, then followed with a four-point play - when he was fouled by Wesley Johnson while sinking a 3 from the top of the key - to tie it at 29-29 with 10:45 left in the half.

Moments later, Johnson fouled him on an errant 3-point try. Redick made all three from the line to put the Magic up 35-34.

The Magic extended it to 57-48 with the first two baskets of the second half. The Suns scored the next 11 to go up 59-57 on Gortat's turnaround 13-footer. The run eventually reached 19-4 with Brown leading the way. He scored 10 in the outburst, including a pair of 3s. The last one came over the outstretched arms of 7-foot Nikola Vucevic to put Phoenix up 67-61 with 4:16 left in the third.

Orlando scored the next eight, capped by Vucevic's layup, to regain the lead, 69-67. Luis Scola's three-point play put Phoenix ahead 70-69, then Nicholson's 17-footer made it 71-70 Magic entering the fourth quarter.

It was the second fourth-quarter flop in a row for Phoenix. The Suns were down by one after three against the Clippers in Los Angeles on Sunday, only to lose 117-99.

"It's not anything complicated," Gentry said. "We just have to play better. We have to be able to rebound better, we have to make better basketball decisions and we have to stop turning the ball over."

NOTES: With Dragic out, the Suns used their fourth starting lineup of the season. ... Suns reserve P.J. Tucker missed his second straight game with a sore right knee. ... Redick had 14 points in his first 11 minutes on the court. ... The announced attendance was 13,565, though US Airways Center was half-empty. ... Orlando is home against Atlanta on Wednesday. The Suns host Memphis the same night. ... Orlando has won five straight over Phoenix, including a 2-0 sweep this season.

Copyright 2012 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited

Notebook: Magic 98, Suns 90

The Magic (8-12) whipped the short-handed Phoenix Suns, 98-90 Sunday night to wrap up a 3-2 trip. The loss was the Suns' seventh straight.

The trip's results are "very important, especially for us," J.J. Redick, who scored a game-high 20, said of the rebuilding Magic. "For us to come away with a winning record is a big step forward for us."

The Magic got a huge boost from Andrew Nicholson, the rookie big forward from St. Bonaventure. Nicholson, the No. 19 pick in the most recent draft (who was passed up by the Suns, among others) had a career-high 19 points on 9-for-11 shooting.

The Magic outshot the Suns 52-46 percent and outrebounded them 44-29.

The Suns (7-15) were missing P.J. Tucker, their most effective small forward this season (out with a knee injury), and leading scorer Goran Dragic (illness).

They were led by Shannon Brown's 17 points, though Brown shot only 6-for-16. Jared Dudley had 15 points, four assists and just one turnover in 38 minutes.

"We are playing spot basketball," Suns coach Alvin Gentry said. "We play good for two minutes, then we're bad for seven. Then we're good for five, and we're bad for three."

QUOTABLE: "Drew is a great offensive player. He's got a bright future. He's still learning the game. Offensively, he can get it done right now." -- Redick on Nicholson.

THE STAT: The Magic's bench outscored the Suns' reserves, 49-30.

TURNING POINT: Down 67-61 with 4:00 left in the third quarter, the Magic went on a 21-10 run that run that stretched into the fourth quarter and gave the Magic an 82-77 lead, one they never gave up.

QUOTABLE II: "We can't allow layups...when we're trying to come back. Time after time after time. It doesn't work out." -- Gentry.

HOT: Redick scored 10 quick points early in the second quarter on only two scored field goal attempts. Playing against the Suns' reserves, the Magic, down 29-22, took off on a 21-7 powered by Redick's shooting. He hit a 29-footer, then a 26-footer on which he was fouled by Wesley Johnson. The unusual 4-point play gave Redick seven points on two shots within 33 seconds. Moments later, Johnson again fouled Redick on a 3-pointer, and the Magic guard nailed all three free throws.

NOT: Sebastian Telfair, starting in place of Dragic, shot 1-for-7. "He gives you everything he's got," Gentry said of Telfair. "We need 12 guys like that, not four or five. Sometimes, he doesn't make shots. I don't have a problem with that."

ROOKIE WATCH: In addition to Nicholson, the Magic's Maurice Harkless had four points on 2-for-2 shooting in seven minutes.

FANTASY SPOTLIGHT: Michael Beasley's irrelevance continues. After losing his starting spot, owing to 37 percent shooting (27 percent on 3-pointers), the Suns' forward had one of his best games in his first stint off the bench Saturday at the Clippers (21 points in 30 minutes). But in his second game as a reserve, with the Suns short on players, he came up empty: He shot 0-for-2 for three points and one rebound in 15 minutes.

NOTABLE: The Suns' seven-game skid is the franchise's longest since February, 2004.